Working pupil - how much to pay

R2R

R2R

Well-Known Member
Joined
7 August 2009
Messages
1,455
Visit site
My friend and I were wondering how much the following would get paid, only the current pay is £50 a week pocket money which I think is a bit harsh.

Currently on 5.5 day week, 8am/5.30

Live in studio, food provided

Horse on livery (diy)

Can ride in work time

Exams paid for

3 hours of lectures/lessons per week (working towards BHS stages)

Opportunity to compete (free travel/entries)

Free competition at yard

So is £50 harsh or am I greedy?
 
we don't have accomadation on site but we pay:
£100 per week
Free livery for one horse
All exams paid for
2 hrs of training per day(minimum) at least one riding
NVQ's paid for
Outside lecture/demos paid for
40 hr week (5 day week)
1 day at the weekend and one evening
Free on site show entries
As many lessons as they like in their own time(free)
24 days holiday

A usual working day is 8am-5pm with 20 mins break am and pm and 1 hr for lunch
 
Personally I don't think your on a bad deal - all living , Livery & Trainig only 5 1/2 day week with short hours for this type of work, compete free with free travel and some money in your pocket at the end of the week for just you - I'll swap - you can have my week !!
 
So you don't have to pay anything to have your horse there? Does it include hay, bedding and feed etc?
And it includes all of your food and accomodation?
Do you get much riding?

That seems like quite a good deal to me... Although I'd probably want £80-£100 a week.
 
Have to say it is not me, it is for a school leaver looking to start WP role in June...I was looking to see what was about and thought £50 a week was a bit harsh, until I realised I have about that after living and livery to live on at the moment!!
 
It's about right I would say, but I'm not quite sure how it looks legally - they are called apprentices nowadays and there was quite a bit of change in last couple of years in the legislation surrounding it.
 
Yep, sounds about right to me. One yard I managed used to pay WPs £50/week - in return they got;

Accomodation (breakfast cereal/milk provided but no other meals)
Electric, TV licence paid, but not phone/internet
Free DIY livery for one horse, but did not include supplements/special food.
They could ride their horse in work hours but never really had time to, so ended up riding after work.
No exams/formal training
Not many opportunities to compete

The working hours were 7am - 5pm with 20 minutes at 9am for breakfast, and an hour for lunch. They worked a 'continetal' shift pattern, so one week would work mon-sat, have sat PM and sunday off, then the following week they would work solid (no weekend off) and the week following that they would have sat PM, sunday all day, monday all day off. There were no formal holiday days - it was a matter of ask and be lucky to get. They also had to do two 'lates' a week - putting hay/feed in at 10pm.

BTW - it was the yard owner that enforced this, I had nothing to do with it and thought they got a bit of a raw deal TBH.
 
abina said:
Personally I don't think your on a bad deal - all living , Livery & Trainig only 5 1/2 day week with short hours for this type of work, compete free with free travel and some money in your pocket at the end of the week for just you - I'll swap - you can have my week !!
Click to expand...

I am sat here with all my staff on a quick tea / lets get warm break ! and had a quick discussion on this subject and we came to the conclusion that we would all like to swap !!!

We all started at 6am this morning - lessons finish tonight at 7pm - followed by the first evening of lectures for the BHS Horse Owners Cert which also finishes at 9pm and a Show jumping clinic following on after lessons which also finishes at 9pm - after which all the horses will need sponging off . rugging, hay nets feeds etc - so we will get away from here around 10.30pm. And that's just today ! - Looking at the hours and what is on offer for WP''s - no wonder I have trouble finding good young staff ! - I'll stick with my golden oldies who are loyal, and dedicated. ......................oh and I do pay them a bit of money as well ! ;-) lol
 
Having been a WP who naively worked for free for 6 months without a contract, I suggest you make sure your WP has a contract which is discussed fully so that all parties are happy with whatever package you end up with. You seem to be offering a good deal but £50 a week doesn't go very far these days so that might be the only thing you have to change. The main thing is to have a contract so that everyone knows what the deal is and it's legal. The BGA issued some guidelines for employers a year or two ago which includes details on contracts for Working Pupils.
 
Have to say, so long as training is provided etc. I think it actually would work out well in terms of experience for the person as £50 a week to spend on just 'free' stuff, e.g mags, choc etc. is actually pretty good!
 
My first working pupil position at a riding school i started on £80 pw which was dropped to £40 pw because i kept my horse on DIY livery and lived on site. basically included
* all meals
* stable, grass and hay for horse
* "training towards BHS exams" to include riding every day, lunge lessons twice a week as well as formal stable management lectures each day
* six and a half day week, 7am to 7pm with half hour for lunch and one mid morning tea break

weren't allowed to so much as say hello to your horse in working hours, let alone check on them, top up hay, water ect. After 2 months, "training towards BHS exams" hadnt materialised; YM's attitude was simply appalling so i left.

My second working pupil position working for a dealer/riding stables i started on £90 pw, which was increased to £120 pw after he'd seen my riding ability (i think he was used to total novices who could sit point and steer, it wasnt that i rode exceptionally well, just that he was used to a much lower standard!) this included
* no meals (but occasional leftovers)
* no livery for horse (i'd sold mine)
* on site accomodation in dilapidated but liveable mobile home
* clothes washing facilities
* use of swimming pool
* five and a half day week, 7am til whatever time we finished (sometimes after midnight if we were competing)
* riding for at least 6 hrs per day, schooling, jumping and hacking
* teaching and leading out hacks
*ability to take NVQ's at this establishment

I stayed over the months in between 1st and 2nd year of uni, got very valuable riding experience, competed, yes the YM had his horrid moments but generally got on well and worked my danglies off.

I think my two experiences were total polar opposites with regard to what was on offer.
I'd agree that £50 pw isnt much these days, but if you are offering good livery and meals it does sounds ok. Plus i suppose for me, a good working environment is key: if i'm working for peanuts it HAS to be enjoyable!
 
When you add up the cost of living I think you are on to a pretty good deal!

Look at it this way...

£350 (ish) pcm rent for a room in a house inc bills
£200 pcm food, toiletries, cleaning prods etc
£100 (ish) pcm petrol/public transport (not including running a car here)
£100 pcm DIY livery for your horse
£75 (ish) hay (based on half a bale a day @ £6 a bale)
£25 (ish) hard feed
£100 ish lesson once a week

Adds up to about £950 add to this your £200 pcm and you would need to be earning £1150 pcm to be having less of a deal and having to pay for your own education. This works out about £7.77 per hour based on a 37 hour week (which you would probably be working if you had a non-horsey job). This is more than minimum wage so therefor I conclude it is a good deal :)

I know that it is more than 37 hours per week but the model is based on an 'alternative job situation' not the current pay per hour. The amounts above are a drastic undersimplification and the cost of living is actually higher than this so again, yes, a VERY good deal :)

I wish I had £200 per month to myself after I have paid for everything else ;)

Edfit - this is based on a 4 week month, some months are 5 week months so those months the COL would work out even more!
 
My daughter did a week at half term in october at a big event yard, she would love to go back for longer but they actually don't pay them anything. They can keep they're own horse, take it to comps if there is room on the lorry and receive training although i'm not sure how often. There is a BE accredited trainer at the yard alongside the eventer and the yard has a good reputation. The wp's seemed to work long hours even in october but accommodation is provided and so was breakfast and lunch although dinner wasn't.
She thoroughly enjoyed it, even though it was hard work which luckily she isn't afraid of but we will have to think seriously as to whether we can afford to fund her while she is there.
 
I was a WP in the late 1980's and am very glad to see that things have improved. If the yard is good and you enjoy it then go for it - not forever after all. Seems a bit light on riding though
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top